In the dog world Westminster Dog Show is a very big deal. If you are a dog who has been invited and are competing at Westminster you are already a champion since only champions are invited. Such is the case with Commack’s entry at the Westminster Dog Show, chow - Quixote Fernandez.
Quixote is three and a half years old and according to his handler, Linda Albert, Quixote excels in all the standards by which chows are judged. He is rated ninth in the All Breeds category and in the top twenty in Best of Breed (Chow). He comes from champion lines and he loves competitions, “Quixote is a natural” said Linda. This is not Quixote’s first trip to Westminster he was a very immature 19 months when he first participated in the Westminster Dog Show. This time he is older, more experienced and very competitive.
Victor Fernandez, one of Quixote’s owner’s wants people to know Quixote is a pet and family member. Being a champion and a competitor is wonderful but at the end of the day Quixote goes home with Victor and Jeanne Fernandez where he is one of the three four legged members of the Fernandez family. 
Victor and Jeanne got their first Chow 22 years ago at South Street Seaport and they have never looked back. They have learned a lot since that first chow. They learned about pet shops and puppy mills and how unscrupulous breeders routinely over breed. They also learned the hard way, how “pedigree” dogs suffer the consequences of poor breeding practices. They have been getting their dogs exclusively from E-lin breeders in Hauppauge for years.
Linda Albert a co-owner of Quixote is also his handler and will be in the ring with him at Westminster. Linda, along with her mother Elaine has been breeding Chows Chows in Hauppauge for twenty-six years. They operate under the name of E-lin and are involved in Chow Rescue and Pet Adoption League. Responsible breeding is what they are all about. They follow self-imposed rules to ensure that those who purchase their dogs are prepared to deal with the challenges of owning a chow. Linda is proud of the long-term relationships they have developed with the owners of their dogs. Martha Stewart’s dogs PawPaw and Kublai Kahn were both E-lin dogs.
Quixote will be competing Monday, February14 at around noon. Both Victor and Linda are feeling good about the event. After the event Victor will bring Quixote home where he will be able to play outside in the backyard and do Quixote’s second favorite thing roughhouse with Victor. Oh, and what is Quixote’s favorite activity? Driving around in a golf cart in South Carolina. 
While many will be watching and hoping for Quixote to win, Victor Fernandez takes it all in stride, “no matter what the outcome is, I know my dogs are the best.” Good luck Quixote!
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